A black Pooka/Púca, by an unknown artist - probably Tony DiTerlizzi (Image found on Google)

The púca (Irish for spirit/ghost), pooka, phouka, phooka, phooca, puca or púka, is primarily a creature of Irish folklore. Considered to be bringers both of good and bad fortune - as many from the faerie folk -, they could either help or hinder rural and marine communities. These creatures were said to be shape changers which could take the appearance of black horses, goats and rabbits. It has counterparts throughout the Celtic cultures of Northwest Europe. For example, in Welsh mythology it is named the pwca or pwwka, and in Cornish the Bucca. In the Channel Islands, the pouque were said to be fairies who lived near ancient stones; in Channel Island French a cromlech is referred to as a pouquelée or pouquelay(e); poulpiquet and polpegan are corresponding terms in Brittany.According to legend, the púca is a deft shapeshifter, capable of assuming a variety of terrifying or pleasing forms, and may appear as a horse, rabbit, goat, goblin, or dog. No matter what shape the púca takes, its fur is almost always dark. It most commonly takes the form of a sleek black horse with a flowing mane and luminescent golden eyes.If a human is enticed onto a púca's back, it has been known to give them a wild ride; however, unlike a kelpie, which will take its rider and dive into the nearest stream or lake to drown and devour him/her, the púca will do its rider no real harm. Pooka are also known as great chefs, but only operate in their own Village. However according to some folklorists the only man ever to ride the púca was Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, by using a special bridle incorporating three hairs of the púca's tail. The púca has the power of human speech, and has been known to give advice and lead people away from harm. Though the púca enjoys confusing and often terrifying humans, it is considered to be benevolent. Regarding being considered menacing or beneficent, fairy mythologist Thomas Keightley said "notions respecting it are very vague," and in a brief description gives an account collected by Croker from a boy living near Killarney that "old people used to say that the Pookas were very numerous...long ago..., were wicked-minded, black-looking, bad things...that would come in the form of wild colts, with chains hanging about them." and that did much to harm unwary travellers. Also, children were warned not to eat overripe blackberries, because this was a sign that the pooka has befouled them. In contrast, the phouka is represented as being helpful to farmers by Lady Wilde, who relates the following tale. A farmer's son named Phadraig one day noticed the invisible presence of the phouka brushing by, and called out to him, offering a coat. The phouka appeared in the guise of a young bull, and told him to come to the old mill at night. From that time onward, the phoukas came secretly at night and performed all the work of milling the sacks of corn into flour. Phadraig fell asleep the first time, but later concealed himself in a chest to catch sight of them, and later made a present of a fine silk suit. This unexpectedly caused the phoukas to go off to "see a little of the world" and cease their work. But by then the farmer's wealth allowed him to retire and give his son an education. Later, at Phadraic's wedding, the phouka left a gift of a golden cup filled with drink that evidently ensured their happiness. However, there are also some stories of phookas being blood-thirsty and vampire-like creatures. Other stories even say some are man eating beings, hunting down, killing, and eating their victims. It is curious to know that certain agricultural traditions surround the púca. It is a creature associated with Samhain, a Goidelic harvest festival, when the last of the crops are brought in. Anything remaining in the fields is considered "puka", or fairy-blasted, and hence inedible. In some locales, reapers leave a small share of the crop, the "púca's share", to placate the hungry creature. Nonetheless, 1 November is the púca's day, and the one day of the year when it can be expected to behave civilly. At the beginning of November, the púca was known — in some locales— to either defecate or to spit on the wild fruits rendering them inedible and unsafe thenceforth.In some regions, the púca is spoken of with considerably more respect than fear; if treated with due deference, it may actually be beneficial to those who encounter it. The púca is a creature of the mountains and hills, and in those regions there are stories of it appearing on November Day and providing prophecies and warnings to those who consult it. In some parts of County Down, for example, the púca is manifested as a short, disfigured goblin who demands a share of the harvest; in County Laois, it appears as a monstrous bogeyman, while in Waterford and Wexford the púca appears as an eagle with a huge wingspan and in Roscommon as a black goat.

Ocean Born Mary is a folklore legend of an alleged ghost - now discredited - from New England, USA. Even though it's not a true ghost story, I thought it was so cool I decided to share it with you! Mary Wilson, as you can imagine, was born on the Atlantic Ocean on July 26, 1720, during a voyage in a ship called "The Wolf", which was taken over by pirates who threatened to loot the ship and sink it with all on board. But when the pirate captain heard the cry of a newborn baby he went below to discover Mrs. Wilson holding the child. He told Mrs. Wilson to name the baby Mary and he would spare all on board and depart the ship, which she obviously agreed to. On leaving the ship, the pirate threw over a bolt of green brocade cloth that he said was to be used by Mary on her wedding day.Mary was married to James Wallace for 39 years, until October 30, 1781, when James died in Londonderry and was buried in the Hill Burying ground there. They had four sons, Robert, William, Thomas, and James Wallace, and one daughter Elizabeth. Ocean Born Mary was described as being quite tall, red haired with bright eyes, elegant in her manners, resolute and determined, of strong mind, quick of comprehension, sharp in her conversation, with a strong brogue and full of humor. Nowadays, pieces of the gown she married in are scattered in various places including the New Hampshire Historical Society. Don't forget to check out the song above from Neptune's Car - it's bas

Today I really need to cheer myself up - although it is friday -, so what can be better than ghost stories from Scotland?The glaistig is a ghost from Scottish mythology, a type of fuath (an evil water spirit). It is also known as maighdean uaine (Green Maiden) and "Green Jean", and may appear as a woman of beautiful or monstrous mien, as a half-woman half-goat similar to a satyr, or in the shape of a goat. The lower goat half of her hybrid form is usually disguised by a long, flowing green robe or dress, and the woman often appears grey with long yellow hair.So, she is basically an ambivalent ghost that appears in legend as both a malign and benign creature. Some stories have her luring men to her lair via either song or dance, where she would then drink their blood. Other such tales have her casting stones in the path of travellers or throwing them off course. In more benign incarnations, the glaistig is a type of tutelary spirit and protector of cattle and herders, and in at least one legend in Scotland, the town of Ach-na-Creige had such a spirit protecting the cattle herds. The townsfolk, in gratitude, poured milk from the cows into a hollowed-out stone for her to drink. According to the same legend, her protection was revoked after one local youth poured boiling milk into the stone, burning her. She has also been described in some folklore as watching over children while their mothers milked the cows and fathers watched over the herds.Another rendition of the glaistig legend is that she was once a mortal noblewoman, to whom a "fairy" nature had been given or who was cursed with the goat's legs and immortality, and since has been known as "The Green Lady". She might either be benign, watching over houses and looking after the weak mind, or appear as a vengeful ghost. In some tales she was murdered in a green dress, and then stuffed unceremoniously up the chimney by a servant. It is said that her footsteps can still be heard as she walks the castle in sadness. Such Green Lady myths have been associated with a number of locations in Scotland, including Ardnacallich, Dunollie Castle, Loch Fyne, Muchalls Castle, and in Wales at Caerphilly. A third tale synthesizes the two threads. It tells of a mortal woman who lived on an island near the Firth of Clyde and who was smitten by the fairies and was granted her unspoken wish to become one of them. Afterwards, she dedicated herself to watching over the cattle of the island until a farmer offended her greatly through rude treatment and she left, making her way to the mainland by leaping to nearby islets before snagging her hoof in the rigging of a passing ship. She, according to this tale, fell into the ocean and presumably drowned, or at any rate was never seen again.

A two-legged crow, part of my Post Grad homework this week (Painting by Me!)

Three-legged (or tripedal) crows are found in various mythologies and arts of Asia, Asia Minor, and North Africa. It is believed by many cultures to inhabit and represent the sun, but today I'm going to talk about Yatagarasu, or the Japanese myth of the three-legged crow. In it, this flying creature is a raven or a Jungle Crow and its appearance is construed as evidence of the will of Heaven or divine intervention in human affairs. Although Yatagarasu is mentioned in a number of places in the Shintō canon, the depictions are primarily seen on Edo wood art, dating back to the early 1800s wood-art era. And although it's not as celebrated these days, the crow is considered a mark of rebirth and rejuvenation; the animal that has historically cleaned up after great battles symbolized the renaissance after such tragedy. Yatagarasu the Crow-God himself is symbolic specifically of guidance. This great crow is said to have been sent from heaven as a guide for Emperor Jimmu on his initial journey from the region which would become Kumano to what would become Yamato. It is generally accepted that Yatagarasu is an incarnation of Taketsunimi no mikoto, but none of the early surviving documentary records are quite so specific. Both the Japan Football Association and subsequently its administered teams such as the Japan national football team use the symbol of Yatagarasu in their emblems and badges respectively. The winner of the Emperor's Cup is also given the honor of wearing the Itachi emblem the following season.

Giant spider roaming a forest, by an unknown artist (Image found on Wikipedia)

There is an account of a mysterious creature sighted in America during the 19th century by a lumberjack, which came to be known as "Old Spider Legs".As the lumberjack was travelling through the forest, he heard a quick and numerous galloping noise, he then got a clear sight of horse that had eight legs positioned like a spider’s legs, he got on his horse and chased after the beast but he could not keep up and lost sight of it. Many have heard it since, but none have seen it again. Skeptics say it might have possibly been a regular wild horse that had a twin that did not develop fully, got its extra appendages, which, in this case, were positioned like a spiders, and it learned to use these to its advantage of running faster.Or it could be Aragogue. Or Ungoliant. You never know, right?

A representation of a Clurichaun in T. C. Croker's "Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland" (Image found on Google)

Time for more folklore!The clurichaun is an Irishfairy which resembles the leprechaun. Some folklorists describe the clurichaun as a night "form" of the leprechaun, who goes out to drink after finishing his daily chores. Others regard them as regional variations on the same creature. The folklorist Nicholas O'Kearney described the clurichaun in 1855 as follows:“The Clobhair-ceann was another being of the same class: he was a jolly, red-faced, drunken little fellow, and was ever found in the cellars of the debauchee, Bacchus-like, astride of the wine butt with brimful tankard in hand, drinking and singing away merrily. Any wine-cellar known to be haunted by this sprite, was doomed to bring its owner to speedy ruin. ” Clurichauns are said to always be drunk. However, unlike their cousins, they are surly. Many fables conclude clurichauns enjoy riding sheep and dogs at night. If you treat them well they will protect your wine cellar, and if mistreated, they will wreak havoc on your home and spoil your wine stock. In some tales, they act as buttery spirits, plaguing drunkards or dishonest servants who steal wine; if the victim attempts to move away from their tormentor, the clurichaun will hop into a cask to accompany them.

Don't think about "fuafa" just yet, my Brazilian friends! A Fuath (plural Fuathan) is actually an evil, Gaelic mythological water spirit. It's so evil that, in Irish Gaelic, the word "fuath" means "hate". Its name is sometimes used as a regional variance for Kelpie or Uisges in Northern Ireland or the Bean-Nighe. The Scottish use the name to refer to generic water spirits who inhabit the sea, rivers, fresh water, or sea lochs. Sometimes, this name is even given to highland or nature spirits, but all forms with the name are evil.Their appearance ranges from covered in shaggy, yellow fur to just having a mane down its back, webbed toes, tails with spikes, and no nose. They are prone to wearing green, whether it be a dress, robe, or kirtle, as it is the color of faeries. They sometimes intermarry with human beings (typically the female), whose offspring will share a mane, tail, and/or webbed digits. Their banes include sunlight and cold steel, which will kill them instantly. They grow restless upon crossing a stream. An alternative name for this class of monsters is Arrachd.

One of John Hyatt's photos of the Rossendale Fairies (Image found on Google)

According to John Hyatt, a professor from Manchester Metropolitan University and director of the Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design (MIRIAD), fairies do exist. For the past two years he has been taking pictures of them, which he claims are genuine and not altered in any way. In his own words: "It was a chock when I captured them, I did a double shot. Then I left and took some photos of flies and mosquitoes and they simply didn't look the same. People may decide for themselves what is it. The message for them is to approach the pictures with an open mind. I think it's one of those situations when you need to believe to see it. A bunch of people who saw the photos came to tell me that they brought a little more magic to their lives." So far, the pictures were posted in the social media and are causing quite a debate. They will also be exposed throughout spring in an exposition called "Rossendale Fairies" in the Whitaker Museum in Whitaker Park, Rossendale. The name is a tribute to the fairies of Cottingley story, where two Bradford students claimed they photographed fairies in their garden and, 60 years later, they confirmed it was a fraud. Hyatt, however, admitis that the cratures he photographed aren't like the characters of traditional stories."Everything is stereotyped. Life grows everywhere. I don't believe they are just smaller versions of us who go to their houses to take a cup of tea in the end of the day. From my experience, they were just having fun and dancing in the sunlight. These are just beautiful images and beauty can make people believe." What about you? Do you think these fairies are for real? Tell me in the comments!

Let's start the week with more legends about horrible creatures, shall we? Erchitu is a legendary creature of Sardinian tradition. According to the ancient legends of that region, a man who committed a serious fault would turn on full moon nights into a white ox with two large horns. Sort of like a were-ox, if I may say so. The creature stops in front of a house and bellows three times: his roar is heard by all the inhabitants of the country, and according to tradition, the master of the house will to die within the year. Sometimes they are accompanied by Devils which lay two lit candles on their horns and prod them with hot skewers.The Erchitos can free themselves from their torment only when they encounter someone brave and strong, capable of extinguishing the candles in one puff, or capable of cutting the horns on the head with one precise shot.

Today's post is a small folk tale from Scotland explaining a popular saying in the West Highlands... Enjoy!

The Fox and the Bagpipes"The fox, being hungry one day, found a bag-pipe, and proceeded to eat the bag, which is generally, or was till lately, made of hide. There was still a remnant of breath in the bag, and when the fox bit it the drone gave a groan, when the fox, surprised but not frightened, said - 'Here is meat and music!'"